Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite have exceeded expectations since their debut last year. After using a few Snapdragon X Elite laptops, I was impressed by their performance. The increased battery life has reinstated my trust in ARM-powered Windows laptops, prompting me to switch from my MacBook. Qualcomm’s innovation continues with the introduction of the new Snapdragon X Platform at CES 2025, focusing on enhancing performance and battery efficiency.
The Snapdragon X Platform, positioned below the X Plus and X Elite versions, boasts impressive specifications. It offers a slightly scaled-down version of the Snapdragon X Plus, catering to mainstream and budget laptops. While maintaining the same core count, Qualcomm has adjusted the clock speed for this platform.
Although not as powerful as the X Plus or X Elite, the Snapdragon X Platform features an 8-core design with a maximum clock speed of 3.0GHz (CPU), utilizing a 4nm process node.
In comparison, the Snapdragon X Plus series can reach up to 3.4GHz and boost up to 4GHz for certain SKUs. The GPU performance ranges from 1.7 to 3.8 TFLOPs, while the Snapdragon X offers 1.7 TFLOPs (GPU) and includes a 45 TOPS NPU for AI functionality in Copilot+ PCs.
Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon X delivers 163% faster performance at ISO-power than competitors, while also requiring 168% less power at ISO-performance. These laptops are targeted towards students and professionals engaging in tasks like web browsing, presentations, and content streaming.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Platform supports LPDDR5x RAM, Wi-Fi 7, USB4 (40Gbps), Bluetooth 5.4, and optional 5G connectivity. Despite these high-end specs, Qualcomm aims to make Copilot+ PCs more affordable. Expect Snapdragon X-powered laptops from renowned brands like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo in the $600 price range in the near future.
Over 60 laptop designs from OEMs are currently in production or development based on the Snapdragon X series of chips, with over 100 laptops set to launch by 2026.